Minor head-scratching ...

[Smiles]

As long as there are on-going changes to Sawatdee ~ and I like them all in general ~ could I please offer some small suggestions to the mix? A couple have bugged me for a long time, so this may be the time to take a look at some different options.
The following ideas may help to de-clutter and simplify the Index page(s).

(1) What is the difference between 'BOARD INDEX' and 'NEW SAWATDEE FORUM'? When I click on either they seem almost exactly the same. If that's the case, why do they both exist? If it's not the case, and there is some qualitative/existential difference between the two, I'd sure like to know what it is.

(2) How long has it been since the Forum List 'descriptions' have been updated?
For instance, do we really need the 'OPEN DISCUSSION FORUM' to be described below the name as "An Open Discussion forum"? Is it really necessary that the 'GAY THAILAND FORUM' be described by listing every single location in Thailand with the word "Gay" in front of it?
The rest of the other 'descriptions' are also not very well-worded: for instance, from the 'GAY ROMEO FORUM'... "Reviews on boys on Gay Romeo. Members' Opinions, they may differ.". Huh? Really, a description of this Forum is hardly needed.

(3) Why is there a 'GLOBAL FORUM' and an 'OPEN DISCUSSION FORUM' anyway? To me, 'Global' means 'anything goes' (which is not 'Gay Thailand') ... thus, one 'open topic' forum should suffice?

[Surfcrest]

You are absolutely right about the Board Index and New Sawatdee Forum Index. I know we've gone through evolutions over the years where new Forums are added....or Forums are deleted or consolidated, to streamline the New Sawatdee Forum. Right now, there are only two Forums outside of the New Sawatdee Forum, the Resource Forum and Shop Talk...the last Forum is just for Administrators to share what each of us are working on. This is something we can look at fixing, as well the navigational function of each tab.

I hadn't thought of Forum descriptions. We weren't working in this area of the phpbb this weekend, but I could get this updated soon enough. So thanks for noticing that :)

When the primary subject of a post is about a location in the world outside of Thailand or S.E. Asian the post belongs in the Global Forum. This includes members writing about where they are from, where they have been to, travel tips, suggestions, warnings, events, attractions etc......

When the primary subject of a post is about any subject and not about a location, whether location comes into play as a secondary factor or not would belong in Open Discussion. For example, if I was talking about Gay Marriage in Australia...Gay Marriage is the primary subject and so it belongs in Open Discussion.

The hope is that the Global Forum will become more functional as a Global Travel Forum and Open Discussion for all other topics.

http://www.sawatdeenetwork.com/forum/sawatdee-update-t29085.html

I hope this helps and thanks for the suggestions and feedback.

Surfcrest

[elephantspike]

Short answer to the first question: NEW SAWATDEE FORUM is a forum category and is now the only published forum category. If there were more categories you'd get other blocks of forums in those categories underneath NEW SAWATDEE FORUM.

Also if you look closely you will see that the Board Index displays the whosonline block at the bottom. The NEW SAWATDEE FORUM does not.

As for the rest: forums have been added at various points over the years that no longer have relevance. I had conceived the "Global Forum" as an international travel and news leaning open discussion. The Open Discussion forum was added later by somebody else.

[Smiles]

Short answer to the first question: NEW SAWATDEE FORUM is a forum category and is now the only published forum category. If there were more categories you'd get other blocks of forums in those categories underneath NEW SAWATDEE FORUM.

Also if you look closely you will see that the Board Index displays the whosonline block at the bottom. The NEW SAWATDEE FORUM does not.

Exactly. But my question is: why is the New Sawatdee Forum choice even a choice? If all the info needed by members is present in the Board Index, why not just discard the second step (i.e. The 'New Sawatdee Forum' choice) as it is redundant.

Elephantspike, I defer to your tech knowledge and I thank you for your attempt at explanation in your first paragraph above, but I'm afraid I simply can't understand what you are saying (just call me LonelyWombat):

" ... NEW SAWATDEE FORUM is a forum category and is now the only published forum category. If there were more categories you'd get other blocks of forums in those categories underneath NEW SAWATDEE FORUM.... "
This may be obvious to you, but it's head-shakingly obtuse to me.

[elephantspike]

The capability to group forums into categories is built-in to PhpBB- in fact ALL forums MUST be in categories. It may seem to have little use here because we only have one category- but it's coded into the PhpBB software so it can be used if needed. It's not something that can or should be removed. It's one of those things that if you try to fix it you'll break it.

I'm all with you on the consolidation of redundant and obsolete forums though- that can be easily done, and probably should be done.

[Smiles]

Ok elephantspike, thanks for the explanation. Still not sure of the jargon ~ my fault, not yours ~ but not even close to a big deal.
Very much appreciate your work in the background stuff ... nice not to be on the firing line anymore, eh?

[elephantspike]

Yup. Code is complicated but it's predictable- unlike people.